"Attain to that stable and ever-during salvation"

 "And that we may begin with what we deem most seasonable, I presume, dearest brethren, that both you and I, and all else besides who have put their faith and hope in Christ, do, and have done so, for this one reason, viz., that they may obtain salvation for themselves and their souls--not a salvation which is mortal, and will quickly perish, but one which is ever-during and immortal, which is truly attainable only in heaven, and by no means on earth. Our task, accordingly, is thus divided--having first laid the foundation of faith, we must thereafter labor here in order that we may rest yonder; we must cast seed into the earth, that we may afterward be able to reap in heaven; and in whatever works, or whatever studies we have exercised ourselves here, may ultimately obtain similar and fit fruits of our works and labors in another life. And since the way of Christ is arduous, and the method of leading a life conformable to His laws and precepts very difficult (because we are enjoined to withdraw our minds from the contamination of earthly pleasures, and fix them on this one object--to despise the present good which we have in our hands, and aspire to the future, which we see not), still of such value to each of us is the salvation of himself and of his soul, that we must bring our minds to decline nothing, however harsh, and endure everything, however laborious, that, setting before ourselves the one hope of our salvation, we may at length, through many toils and anxieties (the clemency and mercy of God always taking precedence of our doings), attain to that stable and ever-during salvation."

If you were reading this quotation (despite its long-windedness), while nodding and smiling, then you ought to be deeply concerned, because the quotation is from a letter by Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto, written and delivered in March, 1539 to Geneva, with the intent to persuade the Genevans to forsake the Protestant Reformation and return to Rome. Although Sadoleto wrote in a very roundabout fashion, he is essentially teaching here that those who believe in Jesus Christ do not have eternal salvation while on earth, but only *may* obtain it in heaven "at length, through many toils and anxieties". To put it more simply, he is denying justification by faith alone (no believer on earth may be assured of possessing eternal life), and a conditional salvation which depends upon our works, rather than upon Christ's work alone.

But see how deceptive he is! He even includes phrases which we might consider Calvinistic in another context, namely, that grace always comes first. But for Sadoleto, this is a universal prevenient grace (he claims in the same letter that the whole human race has been regenerated--despite Rome's teaching which usually limits this to those who have been baptized), which is not effectual by itself, but ultimately depends upon us, and in fact fails for the majority of those to whom it is supposedly given. For a Calvinist, grace indeed comes first, but not so that it depends upon what comes after, but so that it infallibly produces what comes after. The doctrine of irresistible grace teaches us that God's grace so powerfully works in us, effectually changing our heart and innermost desires, so that we actually will and do good works. Yet not so that we attain salvation by these works, as if we did not yet possess it! In fact, these good works are evidence that we have already received the gift of eternal salvation.

Sadoleto claims that salvation which is "ever-during and immortal" is "truly attainable only in heaven", whereas on earth only a "mortal" salvation which "will quickly perish" is possible. For Sadoleto, the place of works is to build on a "foundation of faith" in order to attain eternal life in heaven. But God's word teaches us:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).

Notice the present tense, as the Lord Jesus Christ emphasized:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)

Eternal life is a present possession for believers on earth, not something to work towards maybe one day attaining in heaven. We believe because we have been given this life, and we necessarily do good works out of that true and living faith:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

What then is the "faith" that Sadoleto speaks about? It is not a true knowledge of God in Jesus Christ with the confident assurance that He is my Saviour who has paid for and forgiven all my sins, and given me eternal life. Instead Sadoleto's idea of faith is like his idea of hope--uncertain and anxious, the very opposite of what true faith and hope is.

"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." (II Timothy 1:12)

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)

In short, this quotation from Sadoleto is utterly antithetical to the true Gospel, and represents the false religion of salvation by works, rather than Christianity which teaches salvation by the work of Christ alone. Is there then no place for works (as Sadoleto would claim against those who teach justification by faith alone)? There certainly is a place for the good works which flow from the good root of this living faith. These good works certainly enrich the life which we now possess in a virtuous cycle, as they are pleasing to God (being cleansed of all impurities by the blood of Christ) and bless, encourage, and edify our fellow saints, and they are graciously and abundantly rewarded in this life and the next.

Good works are even necessary as we walk along the way to heaven (as necessary as the bud unfolding into the flower in springtime). And God has ordained them so that we *will* walk in them; He does not depend upon us or our works for His unchangeable purposes, though He uses various means so that we walk in these works (especially admonitions and exhortations in the preaching). But we do not attain to heaven and eternal life by these works. Although we await the gracious rewards both in this life and the next, we already have eternal life, and we are already seated in heavenly places in Christ:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Justified by Faith in Christ Alone!

I made a statement about the difference between the faith of the demons (certainty of present condemnation and future torment) and the faith of the Christian (certainty of present forgiveness and future blessedness). The faith of the Christian is saving faith, and James 2 explains very well how this can be seen by us to be different. We *see* that a man is justified not by their profession of faith only, but by how their faith produces the fruit of thankful obedience in them. The examples given are very clear - we see that Abraham had saving faith by his obedience in bringing Isaac to be sacrificed, and as Hebrews 12 explains, he had faith that God could raise the dead, since he believed the promise that God had already given him, that in Isaac the promised seed would be called, and that in this seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. We see that Rahab had saving faith by her attempt to protect and hide the spies in Jericho. This is very helpful, because although we see from this that she genuinely had faith in Jehovah to save her, her act in itself was clearly not sinless, although mixed with good motives, she lied to protect them. So, James is not teaching against what Paul clearly teaches in Romans, that God declares men righteous on the basis of their works, but that we see that they are righteous by the works which their faith produces. They are justified in our sight by works consistent with their profession of faith (where as, those who claim to believe, yet live ungodly, only have "faith" like demons do), but in God's sight, "no flesh shall be justified by the deeds of the law."

This is because neither faith nor works is or can be the basis of justification before God. God's holy standard is perfect and unchangeable as He is perfectly righteous and unchangeable. He cannot deny Himself. Therefore the only one who can be declared righteous (justified) before God, is one who is legally perfectly righteous. Christ alone is perfectly righteous, and He suffered the punishment for the sins of His elect people on the cross. Since He has already taken all our punishment, as our representative Head (as we are His body, in Him), there is no longer any condemnation. God will not, cannot, according to His perfect justice, punish us for what He has punished Christ in our stead. It is explained in Romans, especially chapter 5, that we are justified on the basis of Christ's perfect sacrifice for us. Faith is then, not the basis of justification (which is Christ alone), but the means by which we know in our own conscience, the declaration of God that we are righteous in Christ, only because of what He has done. This is the saving faith miraculously worked in the elect by the Holy Spirit, by which we know the Gospel and are comforted by the knowledge that Christ has fully accomplished our redemption from sin.

"1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." - Romans 5:1-11.

Romans 3 & 4 emphasises that we are justified through faith in Christ, apart from any works of the law:

"23 For all [both Jew and Gentile] have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

We see here that boasting is specifically excluded because justification is on the basis not of anything we have done or will ever do, but on the basis of Christ's blood. That we are justified (declared righteous by God) only through faith in Him, excludes all boasting of ourselves against anyone else. Saving faith sees Christ as the only ground of our righteousness, and therefore humbles, and removes all boasting. But that both Jew and Gentile are justified in Christ does not make void what was taught in the Old Testament, since this is also how these saints were justified. Paul points to the examples of Abraham and David:

"1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

This teaches (v.4) that if a man was justified by his works, then the reward would be a debt of God to that person, and not grace at all. But these examples show that justification is only by grace. Saving faith believes on him that justifies the ungodly - a Christian believes that he is not worthy to be justified on the basis of his works (because he sees that even his best works are still corrupted by sin, as Isaiah 64:6 says). So, a Christian, is one who, like David, see himself as one who has iniquities and sins, but which have been covered and forgiven on the basis of Christ's sacrifice, so that they are not imputed to him, but instead, the righteousness of Christ, his Head and representative, as a second Adam, is imputed to him. Such is the blessedness of the Christian who is justified by saving faith, despite his sinful works.

Now, Romans 6 and 7 make clear the God delivers these justified believers from the dominion and power of sin, so that we can begin to serve righteousness, while making clear that in this life there will still be struggle against the old sinful flesh until it is finally destroyed, and so Romans 8 teaches how we long and hope for this day, ultimately, the day of resurrection at Christ's return. The firm confidence and full assurance of the Christian is expressed clearly:

"15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:"

And that we do not yet experience sinless perfection is taught:

"24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?"

If we had attained sinless perfection, we would not still be groaning inwardly, and longing, and hoping for that. Further Romans 8 teaches that all of the elect are justified, again demonstrating the absolute confidence of a true believer, on the basis of Christ's saving work alone:

"28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So, to whoever denies that a Christian knows with full assurance through faith that he is justified on the basis of Christ's work alone, I quote again:

"Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Happy Reformation Day!

Homosexuality in the Bible

Introduction

At the outset, as a Christian, I do not bother entertaining the objections to any passage of Scripture on this or any other issue. It matters not one iota who was the human writer of any passage of Scripture with regard to its authority. Unbelievers may disregard Scripture, and do so at their eternal peril, but any who profess to be Christian must believe the Holy Scriptures to be God’s Word or their profession is empty, since thereby they deny Jesus Christ who is the One who speaks in the Scriptures. Nor does it matter at all that much of the church world today denies many parts of Scripture, and does not obey God’s Word. In doing so, they only show that they are not truly churches at all. Nor is it my intention to deal with all the perverse interpretations of Scripture which ignorant unbelievers attempt to use to claim that it is absurd or otherwise. Anyone honestly interested in the truth may easily look up the relevant passages of Scripture for himself, and see the perversity of the reasoning of unbelievers such as Richard Dawkins who are literally hell-bent on opposing faith in the living God as He is revealed by the Word.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” – Luke 21:33.

It should be said that the issue of homosexuality is an ethical issue. Every single ethical or moral issue is important because of the spiritual truth about God and His work of salvation. It must be said however that the reason ethical issues ought to concern Christians is not because true Christians seek to stroke their egos by keeping difficult rules, nor is it because we are trying to earn some kind of ticket into heaven by keeping certain laws. True Christians ought to be concerned with doing the will of God (that is, obeying His commandments or laws) out of love for Him, in gratitude for our salvation which has already been accomplished by Christ for everyone who believes in Him. And that is how we know that Christ has died and risen again for our sins: we believe on Him, only by a miracle of grace. This is because Christ purchased at the cross the gift of faith for all those and only those given to Him by the Father. If you believe, you will certainly be saved everlastingly. And as a result, you will be very concerned with moral issues, in order to show your gratitude to God and honour Him. So it should be obvious now that to the unbeliever, homosexuality is not an issue that is cared much about, except that the unbeliever would very much like everyone to approve him, especially because in his conscience he still knows that God does not approve him.

Why One Man and One Woman?

What then is the key spiritual truth which determines our view of homosexuality? Some have claimed it is creation, and that would not be entirely wrong, but there is a far deeper truth behind this. Why did God create humans male and female? It was not, as some have claimed, simply to populate the earth. If this was God’s purpose He could have created humans to be hermaphrodites like earthworms and snails (by the way, there is a significant reason that this behaviour is only natural for these kinds of unpleasant slimy creatures). But even a surface reading of Genesis 2 demonstrates that when God revealed that it was not appropriate for man to be alone, He did not create another man to be with him, but deliberately took flesh and bone from the man’s side and formed it into a woman, specifically to be a companion fitting for man. This tells us that men cannot take the place of a woman in relation to a man. Men can be very good close friends, and love one another very much, as much, or even sometimes more than men can love women or vice versa. But this passage proves that there is a definite role which no man can or may attempt to have in relation to another man. This includes sexual activity. And all sexual activity, according to the Bible, is only appropriate within the bond of marriage.

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” – Genesis 2:18-24.

The fundamental truth that ought to govern our view of homosexuality is the spiritual reality of Christ and the church as presented in Ephesians 5. Not the church building or the institute of the church, but the church itself. The church in this context is the people of God, true Christians redeemed from every tongue, tribe, and nation, gathered throughout all history. This passage teaches us that mystery of marriage is revealed as Christ and the church.

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” – Ephesians 5:22-32.

The passage teaches unmistakeably that marriage is a bond between one man and one woman so that they are one flesh. Marriage is this way precisely because of the spiritual reality of Christ and the church. Christ is united to the church by a holy bond, so that we are of his flesh and of his bones. As in earthly marriage, this heavenly marriage is composed of one husband and one wife. The husband is Jesus Christ who is the head and loves the church and gave Himself for the church on the cross. The wife is the church who is the body and is called to submit to Jesus Christ. This is the spiritual reality that all earthly marriages ought to display a picture of. Therefore there can be no “homosexual marriages”. Anything other than one man and one woman in marriage could not and would not be a picture of Christ and the church. In fact the idea of a “homosexual marriage” is therefore a perversion of this picture.

In the Old Testament there are admittedly various examples of men who married either multiple wives or had additional concubines. However, the Scriptures never ever approve of these situations. In fact, the first polygamy is found in the wicked line of Cain’s descendents. Abraham was very obviously chastised for his taking of Hagar as a concubine, and Jacob’s life was made miserable by his folly in taking a second wife. David and Solomon both brought great trouble on themselves by their wives/concubines. Furthermore, the conclusive word on the issue is the principle taught by our Lord. This instructs us on what Jesus Himself taught about homosexuality in His earthly ministry. It is not true that He never spoke on the issue. That which was in the beginning is the unalterable pattern for marriage: one man and one woman until death.

“… but from the beginning it was not so.” – Matthew 19:8b.

Struggling With Lust

I should think that it ought not to be necessary to also demonstrate that any sexual activity outside marriage (homosexual or otherwise) is sinful. Perhaps this is naïve. At any rate, it ought to be sufficient to say that even sexual lusts hidden in the heart are sinful outside of marriage. As always, Christ does not deny the slightest part of the law but emphasizes even more strongly that the moral law is first of all spiritual. It is not primarily concerned with outward behaviour. True obedience to God’s must always begin in the heart, or else it is nothing but hypocrisy. And if it begins in the heart, then it will necessarily affect the outward behaviour also. This means that not only is homosexual practice sinful but also all homosexual lust is sinful. It should also be understood however that not even the godliest saint can keep the law of God perfectly, he only has a small beginning of true obedience, and that not by his own strength, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore a Christian who struggles with lust, whether homosexual or otherwise, ought not despair, but be encouraged that there is a struggle (since those not born again are completely dead in sins), and continue to fight by the power of the Spirit of Christ, in the confident knowledge of their forgiveness, and eventual deliverance and victory.

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” – Matthew 5:27-28.

That there is deliverance from these sins in Jesus Christ is evident from one of the few passages in the New Testament which directly refers to homosexuality. Some of the members of the Corinthian church had been involved in homosexual practices, but by God’s grace they were converted by the power of the Gospel, and repented of their sins, so that Paul could say concerning them, that they had been cleansed of this.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” – I Corinthians 6:9-11.

This does not mean that they never struggled with this temptation again however. Each person has different trials and temptations. Sometimes our particular weaknesses are due to our birth, others due to events in God’s providence, but we cannot use this as a reason to blame God. God certainly determines all things, and His perfect wisdom is unsearchable. Consider the case of the man who was born blind in John 9. God made him blind from birth – but Christ explained why. It was so that God’s glory would be displayed in him when he received his sight and more importantly salvation through faith in Christ, so that he became a bold witness for Christ and the grace of God before the Pharisees, suffered for Christ, and worshipped Him at His feet.

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” – John 9:1-3.

Nevertheless, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God may lead us from temptation. Since we pray that, it would be hypocrisy not to avail ourselves of whatever means God provides for us to avoid temptation. This is a godly, humble thing to do. It is not cowardly or defeatist. It is wise. To refuse means of avoiding temptation is the pride which comes before a fall. For those who struggle to contain their sexual desire, the Bible recommends marriage. Marriage is also a glorious picture of Christ and the church, but God has also given it for this purpose. Some people can live a single life, and that is recommended also as a good choice, especially as doesn’t carry as many earthly cares, but only if continence is not a problem. Seeking marriage means actively, prudently, carefully, wisely seeking a godly spouse who will be a companion for life, trusting that God will provide.

“Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” – I Cor. 7:2-9.

Sodom: An Example

We have already noted that it is not true that Christ never taught anything about the issue of homosexuality. There is another more obvious reference when Christ speaks about Sodom. Sodom was destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven because of its proud wickedness, especially characterised by rampant homosexuality from which we have the word “sodomy”. Needless to say, such destruction was unusual. In fact in all history it stands out as one of the most dramatic outpourings of God’s wrath in judgment, next only to the global Flood which destroyed billions of lives. Even the plagues of Egypt were not so severe. It stands out as a fiery testimony for all ages of God’s attitude towards this sin. The example given in Genesis 19 is that of all the men, young and old, gathering to gang-rape Lot’s two male visitors (actually angels). When Lot desperately and disgracefully attempts to protect his guest by offering his daughters instead, they even refuse, and finally attempt to assault Lot before the angels rescue him.

The timing of it is very significant. It occurred long before the Law was given through Moses. Homosexuals today often claim that the Bible’s only teaching on homosexuality is in Leviticus, which they ridicule and disregard on account of many things they do not understand. But Sodom was destroyed before the Law was given through Moses. Irrespective of one’s view of Leviticus then, it is abundantly clear just from the example of Sodom, what God’s opinion of homosexuality is. Sodom is exactly that, an example – for all time. It is referred to repeatedly throughout Scripture as an example, in the Old Testament prophets and also in the New Testament letters.  Once God makes an example like this to reveal something about Himself and His holy judgment, He does not do so again. When God speaks in such a manner, we do not ask Him to repeat Himself, we do not need to.

When the Benjamite city of Gibeah had descended to a similarly wicked state (only worse because this was in the church!), God didn’t send down fire and brimstone. However, there was civil war in Israel as a result, and it marked the darkest occasion since entering the promised land, and the tribe of Benjamin was nearly utterly wiped out because of it. The outrage at Gibeah represented the lowest state of moral bankruptcy in Israel, which illustrates how terribly base and vile a sin homosexuality is.

But Christ pronounces heavier condemnation on Capernaum than Sodom. What was the sin of Capernaum? Christ had preached the Gospel there, but the people had refused to repent and believe. Rejecting the preaching of the Gospel brings greater condemnation than sodomy. It is a much worse sin. That must never be forgotten in all the discussion about the seriousness of the sin of homosexuality. Rejection of Christ in the preaching of the Gospel carries a less tolerable judgment of God.

“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” – Matthew 11:23-24.

Homosexuality as Judgment

With such a dramatic example we should not be surprised if the rest of the Scriptures take little time to make a point of directly condemning homosexuality. Nevertheless, they do in many cases. Some have been mentioned already. Romans 1 is one such passage. Here Scripture presents homosexuality as a punishment from God for sin, specifically the sin of idolatry. After asserting that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against unrighteous men, it goes on to explain why all are without excuse. This is because all know from what is plainly manifest in them, that God is almighty, divine, and must be worshipped. Since the ungodly in their generations refused to worship God as they knew they should, God gave them over to run after worse sins. It specifies lesbianism, and likewise, sodomy and adds what is probably a reference to the harmful effects of these practices. It also declares that these things are “against nature”. Furthermore, the passage adds that despite their knowledge of the severe judgment of God against these things, they have pleasure in all who practice these things.

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. … Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” – Romans 1:26-27.

That in itself speaks volumes about why the Bible does not bother to repeatedly address the subject of homosexuality at length. Not only is it obviously “against nature”, but those who do these things know what God’s judgment is concerning them. In fact their homosexuality is a judgment of God already against them. Remember the Christians in Corinth though; even of these, some are saved.

Homosexuality in the Law

Finally it is necessary to insist that the Bible’s teaching concerning homosexuality in Leviticus cannot and must not be ignored. Of the Old Testament Scriptures, Christ said, “Scripture cannot be broken”, and “If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they listen though one should rise from the dead”. The reason it is ridiculed by unbelievers is because they don’t know the first thing about the Bible, and how it is to be interpreted. The first rule of Bible interpretation is always that Scripture alone must interpret Scripture, and probably second is that the New Testament Scriptures interpret the Old Testament. The New Testament therefore teaches us how to understand Leviticus correctly and therefore what to make of its teaching concerning homosexuality.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:17-19.

Christ is very clear in this passage that we ought not teach anyone to disregard even one of the least of the commandments of the Old Testament. How are we to understand this? Does this mean that we all have to go and live in Canaan, and rebuild an earthly temple to offer sacrifices? Simply, no. Christ teaches us that the law is spiritual (Romans 7:12, 14a). The Old Testament laws may be divided into three categories. One category concerns the ceremonial laws about the priesthood, the temple, the sacrifices and so on. These things were only ever pictures of what was to come. Christ has fulfilled the ceremonial laws by His perfect sacrifice once for all time for us. He is our High Priest and we now need no other ever. The letter to the Hebrews explains all this very well.

Another category is judicial or civil laws. These were laws particular to the Jewish nation and the land in an earthly kingdom including all manner of punishments such as the death penalty. Likewise, these things were pictures of a greater reality to come. Christ is our King, and His kingdom is spiritual in the hearts of His people. The land was only ever a picture of heaven. Furthermore everything that pertained only to the Jews has been discarded because both Jew and Gentile are saved in Christ. This means for example, no more circumcision or food laws (Peter was even explicitly given a vision to demonstrate this). What then of the moral law? Everywhere it is reinforced in the New Testament as the rule of gratitude. As Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” – Romans 13:8-10.

That Paul reiterates these commandments demonstrates that Christians remain bound by the law which is summarised as love for God and for our neighbour. We are not under the law, in the sense of its condemnation. In that sense we are free from it by grace, since Christ has fulfilled the law perfectly for us. But out of love and gratitude for God whose perfect moral character and holy righteousness does not change, we must obey His commandments. What of the command in Leviticus concerning homosexuality then?

“Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.” – Leviticus 18:20-25.

A clearer context could not be found. Here we find the commandment couched in between commandments against adultery, infanticide, and bestiality. Who will claim that these things are now justifiable? Furthermore, and this is the end of controversy, it was for these things that God cast out the ungodly nations that inhabited Canaan. These were not Jews, nor had they received the law – they were not bound by any peculiar Jewish customs, yet God destroyed them for these things. Even more, He says that on account of these things, not only the people, but the very land was defiled, vomiting out these wicked inhabitants. This is the sense in which it describes homosexuality as an “abomination”, a detestable thing in the eyes of God. May God deliver us from this defilement. May He cleanse all His elect from it, gather us together, and present us holy and chaste to Christ.

Review: Contending for the Faith

No other book that I have read has been more helpful in my understanding the present condition of the church world today.

Each chapter of the book treats a separate heretic/heresy in church history, from the very early church all the way up to recent times. It is written in a very easy to read style, despite the complexity of some of the heresies discussed (since every heresy tends to be quite complicated in comparison to the simple truth). Reading it was like sitting with a father, being patiently told the long story of the family's history. Colourful stories and characters are painted in each chapter, which helps not with the flow and enjoyment of the reading, but also in understanding how the heretics, and their heresies developed.

Only the chapter on the Marrow men controversy became a little difficult to follow, but with good reason considering the difficulty of the issues involved. When men attempt the impossible in trying to find common ground between the truth and the lie, it always ends up with confusion. Simple overall principles like this, teaching about the character of heresies, and those who propagate them, were smoothly drawn out of the many examples.

Each chapter, a little story in itself, like every good story, contains important lessons to be learnt. Occasionally the lesson was longer than the story - but always very rewarding. The lessons contain enlightening analyses of the heresies, and bring the light of God's word to bear on each issue. Especially helpful was the distinctively Reformed protrayal of the issues involved. The truth was set very clearly in opposition to what was false or distorted, and the real character and root of the error became clear. Because of this, the book shows the reader where the same errors are found today, and how best to correct them and guard against their reccurance.

The wealth of the specific biblical subjects dealt with throughout this book is truly astounding. People in the confused church world today need to absorb the lessons in a book like this, to know the history of the church, and how God has led her and preserved her, and caused her to confess Him more and more clearly and fully throughout the ages. It is a terrible shame when we don't learn the lessons of history, and of incalculable help to us when we do.

I wish all the professing Christians that I know near where I live would read this book and see things as clearly as they are presented in it. It's available from our own Limerick Reformed Bookstore for the Republic of Ireland, and from the CPRC Bookstore for the UK and the rest of Europe, and from the RFPA  for America and the rest of the world.

Sam W.

Selling Out Scripture for Evolutionism

"It is something like a case of an honest, God-fearing grocery store owner being robbed at gunpoint by a murderous crook. Investigating the incident, the crook tells the police that the store owner gave him everything from the store, while the owner says that the criminal boldly threatened his life. The policeman, content to adopt the crook's version, tells the store owner that he must have been under the influence of a powerful narcotic when he gave all those things to the crook, or that his description of the robbery cannot be taken literally. The owner really meant that his gift to the robber can be construed as robbery because his conscience so smote him when he saw the poverty of the crook that it compelled him to give the store's contents to the crook. So theistic evolutionists are ready to sell out Scripture for evolutionism, and they do it by explaining that the scriptural narrative of creation cannot possibly be taken literally."

Such is the verdict of Prof. Herman Hanko in his section on evolutionism in his unique book on the history of heretics in the church over the last two thousand years, "Contending for the Faith" (http://www.rfpa.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=114). I'm amazed at how vivid and accurate this illustration is!

Wresting Scripture to Make "Free-Will" Seem Biblical

II Pet. 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

I Tim. 2:3-4 "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

Those who attack salvation by grace alone, by the unbiblical doctrine of "free-will" often use verses like this in an attempt to deceive the unwary who do not read their Bibles as they ought and check the context in which verses are situated.

It ought to be said at the outset however, that it is the common practice of heretics to point to short verses here and there in which the main thrust of the context is not the subject at hand. When we come to the Bible with a specific question, we ought to first go to those parts of Scripture which clearly deal with the question head-on - not those which may touch on it briefly when dealing with a separate issue. Some parts of Scripture are more difficult to understand than others, and we must go to the most clear passages first, and interpret the less clear passages in their light, according to the rule, "Scripture interprets Scripture". Those who studiously avoid doing this are following the practice of heretics which the Holy Spirit describes in the same chapter as one of the verses above:

II Pet. 3:15-17 "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness."

We'll return to this portion of Scripture later, but for now notice, "the unlearned and unstable wrest" Scripture - in particular "things hard to be understood", of which there are "some" in Scripture; so not all Scripture is hard to be understood, and even those difficult parts may be understood far more easily and clearly, when we follow the practice advised by the Apostle's warning here: interpret the more difficult in light of the more clear passages.

So then the first question we must ask in this controversy is which passages especially deal with the issue of salvation by grace alone, and the issue of "free-will"? This is what people refuse to do. Romans speaks at length about human depravity, and salvation by grace alone because it is in this letter that the subject which is dealt with most clearly and fully. No wonder then that Arminians studiously avoid chapters 8 and especially 9 of this letter (not to mention the rest of it to greater or lesser extents).

The letter begins by stating its intention to set forth a summary of the Gospel, and immediately declares God's wrath against all humanity who are presented as those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (not who have a "free-will" to accept or reject the truth). The second chapter continues to abase all humanity, explaining that in terms of wickedness there is no difference between the Jew and Gentile, religious or irreligious - all are condemned, even self-condemned with or without the Law, all are alike "under sin". Any supposed "free-will" to do moral good in any sense, is utterly destroyed by this emphatic statement that all are "alike under sin". There is therefore none who makes himself to differ in the righteous eyes of God with respect to His wickedness. In chapter three, the subject continues to be human total depravity, and the Holy Spirit unleashes a barrage of proofs from the Old Testament to throw mankind into the dust and annihilate his pride and supposed "free-will". "There is none that doeth good, no, not one". If it is a good thing to accept the truth, or accept a gift of salvation and grace from God (and it is), then man is utterly incapable of it - indeed the disposition of his entire being is wholly against any such choice or decision.

Only when man is put in his right place, does the Holy Spirit begin to explain the atonement of Christ, and the righteousness of God that is without the works of the law (which are the only works that "free-will" can do). Those whom Christ has died for are freely justified, by their faith in God who justifies the ungodly. God does not justify those with "free-will" to accept or reject Him, He only justifies the ungodly, that is, those who are actively opposed to Him. Length prevents us from examining everything in any detail, but suffice to say that the letter goes on to prove that this is how Abraham was justified, before the law even was revealed through Moses, and before even he was circumcised - and that salvation and grace are given by the promise of God (which Hebrews also speaks about at length), not by means of an offer which man may accept or reject by means of his "free-will" (because then, as Paul already proved, man would certainly only reject such an offer, being ungodly and under sin, ruled by Satan), and because if the promise of God relied upon man's "free-will" it could not be sure to all the seed (Rom. 4:16). Because the promise must be sure to all the recipients of it, it is granted by the necessary means faith, so that it is all by grace (not by anything man does, which would mean that man could merit with God, which is impossible and a blasphemy).

Since we know the certainty of the promise of God to us by faith, the letter goes on to explain the blessedness of those who are justified by means of this gift of faith, and of the certain results of Christ's atonement for us. It is an effectual atonement because Christ took the punishment for our sins (while we were His enemies - so far were we from making ourselves acceptable above others by means of "free-will"), so that "much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" and "when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." There is the effect of the atonement, all those for whom Christ died have been reconciled to God, and therefore much more then, are saved from wrath, and are saved by His life. This salvation of all for whom Christ died is completed, as Christ said "It is finished" on the cross. Because this is the unchangeable effect of the cross for all those for whom Christ died, it is impossible that Christ died for everyone, because not everyone is saved, and many are already in hell suffering for their sins, because Christ did not suffer in their place.

The letter moves on to compare and contrast Adam, explained that as all in Adam are imputed with Adam's sin and are condemned for it to death, so all who are in Christ are imputed with Christ's righteousness and are therefore justified by it, and saved to eternal life! And the imputation of Christ's merits as opposed to Adam's demerits, causes much more grace to abound, than the offences of sin, so that our blessedness is far greater than Adam's original state before the Fall. And it is clear that just as "free-will" did not give us a choice whether to be condemned in Adam or not (but God determined it alone), so "free-will" cannot give us a choice whether or not to be justified freely in Christ.

The obvious objection to such concrete exposition of salvation by grace alone, is that should we therefore sin, so that grace may abound all the more? And this is emphatically denied, and declared impossible, because all those for whom Christ died are united to Him in His death and resurrection by the Holy Spirit, so that all who are saved will certainly walk according to the new life which they have received by grace - in obedience to God, being freed from slavery to sin and Satan, but a servant of God. Finally the freedom of the will is spoken of! But it is not freedom to do anything whatsoever to accept or reject God, but rather freedom from the slavery of sin (in which there was certainly no "free-will"), to be a servant of the living God (it even removes the freedom to reject God which is no freedom at all!) - that is true freedom! Yet who has this freedom? Those who have been given eternal salvation by the promise of God and the death of Christ and who have been born again by the Spirit of God who applies this salvation to all the elect - and no-one else, because no-one else is saved.

The next chapter (seven) proves that the law can no longer condemn those who are united to Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God, since He died, and the law has no hold over those who have died (which is why a person who remarries is an adulterer if their previous spouse is still alive). The Holy Spirit explains the purpose of the law (which is not to tell people that they have "free-will" to accept or reject God's grace - which is not only not the purpose of the law, but not part of God's law at all anyway, which if broken in the slightest, condemns to hell), which is to give the knowledge of sin. The law does not give the knowledge of "free-will", it gives the knowledge of sin; so that when you read, "THOU SHALT BE PERFECT AS I AM PERFECT", you do not conclude that we therefore have the "free-will" to be perfect as God is perfect, but rather you conclude that we are wretchedly depraved and sinful, condemned by this law to hell, and emphatically do NOT have "free-will".

Why must we be condemned by the law? To seek our salvation only in Jesus Christ, and flee only to Him, and trust only in Him. To guard us from ever daring to trust in our own "free-will" which is totally depraved and can do nothing except condemn us further. This was the Apostle Paul's attitude to the law, because he had received the Holy Spirit (and therefore saved eternally), he sees that, even having been born again, having the new life of a Christian, he cannot keep the law, but fails miserably and has only a small beginning of obedience, the law therefore pushes him to Jesus Christ, and keeps him trusting only in Christ for salvation, and makes him more and more thankful for such great salvation, so that he never trusts in his "free-will" or his ability to keep any of God's law.

Paul goes on to contrast the flesh and the Spirit - nothing good proceeds from what we are naturally, even the carnal mind is enmity against God (i.e. "free-will" is only the enemy of God, not a friend), nor can it ever be subject to the law of God. To be spiritually minded however, is life and peace. And if anyone does not have the Spirit, they do not belong to Jesus Christ, but conversely, if anyone does, he belongs to Christ and has eternal life which cannot be taken from him. The letter continues to exalt the blessedness of all true Christians, teaching us that the faith which we have (by which we can call God our Father) is by the witness of the Spirit in us, and that since we are children (and know it by the Spirit of God), we are therefore heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. We cannot inherit hell, but only the new heavens and the new earth, with Christ. So, Paul begins to explain how the creation will certainly be renewed, as surely as we know that we are God's children, and that Christ has died for us.

And as if we didn't get the point already in all this so far, he goes on to speak of the intercession of the Spirit for us which cannot be uttered, because our prayers are feeble and ignorant, and how Christ who knows the hearts, and the mind of the Spirit prays for us according to the will of God (which we only know in a very small part). By this we are given us confidence that there is no greater intercession for us in heaven, nor must we dare seek any which would be a blasphemy against Christ whose intercession is greater than all because He purchased our eternal salvation with His blood, and is very God of very God.

Considering all this, we know (and this is not a sin of presumption, but the confidence of faith), that God works everything for our good, and that nothing whatsoever, not even our wicked and pernicious "free-will" which remains in us battling against the Spirit, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ. Again, Paul reminds us of the unchangeable effect of the atonement: if God is for us, who can be against us (because God alone is almighty)? Who can lay anything to the charge of us who are God's elect (which we know by faith)? God is the one who has justified us. Who is the one with the right to condemn? Christ is the Judge, who is also the one who died for us, and who rose again, and now is making intercession for us. So, all those for whom Christ died, must and will go to heaven, and cannot go to hell, as surely as God cannot deny Himself and is the only Almighty.

I haven't got to Romans 9 yet, but already "free-will" is obliterated by the Word of God, and condemned as a wicked enemy of salvation and of the Gospel of grace which is the Gospel of Christ alone, not of "free-will". Study the chapter yourself, and notice verse 16 which specifically denies that the will of man determines whom God saves. The chapter explains how God's promise has not failed with respect to the many Jews who do not believe in Christ, because His promise was never to every single one of the children of Abraham, but to the elect, who are chosen unconditionally, not on the basis of anything good or evil that they do, or their will or any other work, but by God's sovereign mercy whom He grants to some from eternity and withholds from others. And it answers the objection (an objection which is only raised because this unconditional sovereign election and reprobation in predestination is what the passage is exactly teaching) that it is unrighteous for God to elect without any respect to any form of merit whatsoever (whether "free-will" or anything else).

Much as I would like to continue at least to the end of chapter 11 (after this the subject deviates too far into a different though related area - gratitude for this salvation), We must return to what the verses first quoted mean:

I Tim. 2:4 speaks of God's will to save all men. First of all, it is abundantly clear from everywhere in Scripture that God's will is almighty (because He is almighty) and that whatsoever He wills certainly comes to pass. It is also clear throughout Romans which we have just discussed, that God elects some to salvation and not others. God wills to save some men and not others. But of course this verse can't contradict that because God cannot lie. And the explanation is simple. "All men" used in this context refers to "all kinds of men" just as it means in verse 1 of the same chapter. This is why context is so important in correctly understanding Scripture. "All men" in verse one cannot mean that we are expected to pray for those who are already in hell, for example, or for the Antichrist, for example. The context explains that it is speaking of men from all social strata, even kings, because God is not a respecter of persons (because He's the One who determines everything about us anyway), and Christ has redeemed people from every tongue, tribe, and nation (Rev. 5:9). That verse is simple to understand once the context is understood, and once it is considered that Scripture cannot contradict Scripture.

II Pet. 3:9 is perhaps even simpler. The passage is all about the second coming of Jesus Christ. The first part of the verse tells us that Christ is not slow to return, but rather He is longsuffering towards us and, so that before He returns all must be brought to repentance. It is obvious from the long clear passages discussed above that God will not bring every single person to repentance (as we know from history too, such as Judas, or the Canaanites, or the wicked before the flood, to name a few!), and we know that God's will is always almighty (Psalm 115:3, for example). It is also clear that if Christ were to wait for every single person to be brought to repentance, then He would never return! The purpose of the verse is to assure us that Christ is certainly coming, and will not delay! The obvious meaning is that "all" in this context refers to "all the elect". The elect are the only ones who are ever brought to repentance as we saw from Romans - so this verse really ought to be simply understood. The "us" in the same verse qualifies the "all"; so that the meaning is "all of us, the elect".

It has to be said that very often when heretics try to twist verses into their own false doctrines, the verses prove too much for them. There's a beautiful irony here, and a demonstration of the power of God's Word. Such verses lead them into impossible contradictions with the rest of Scripture. If that verse really meant that God willed for not a single person to perish, then first of all, that means He is not all-powerful (because many do perish), and secondly, what about the clear examples of where God did will for certain people to perish, such as Judas, the son of perdition. Or take for example, Pharaoh and his armies, God says very plainly that He raised them up in order to display His great power and salvation to the Israelites when He drowned them in the Red Sea. Or what about the Canaanites whom God sent Joshua to destroy? If God did not will for the antediluvians to perish, why did He send a Flood to kill them all? If Christ does not will for any to perish on the Last Day, then why does it describe Him treading the winepress of His fury? A terrifying quote from Nahum should help us to think rightly about how God views the wicked who are not in Christ:

"God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vegeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet." - Nah. 1:2-3.

We ought to remember that sometimes when Scripture speaks of the Lord being "slow to anger" it is speaking of His longsuffering towards His saints (which II Pet. 3 that we quoted earlier says, is salvation), and otherwise it is speaking of Him storing up wrath against the wicked for the Day of Judgment, when their cup of iniquity is full, and the wicked world is ripe for judgment. If God willed for no-one whatsoever to perish, there would never be a judgment.

People who stubbornly misinterpret Scripture by trying to use difficult passages to explain the clearer parts, end up tying themselves in knots and unable to understand the Scriptures at all, because one error leads to another. This is because the truth is simple and united and one - as God is. The reason we find it so hard to be corrected when we are plainly in error, is our pride. This is why we must have humility (which is the fruit of the Spirit, not of "free-will") when we come to Scripture, and come to it with other believers, knowing that in two thousand years of the church since Pentecost, there have no doubt been many much wiser saints than ourselves who have studied Scripture, and recorded the good fruit of their studies (even though we must test everything, because even the most spiritual Christian makes errors).

Luther's 101 biblical ways to destroy "free-will"

I thought about quoting various different parts of Martin Luther's "the Bondage of the Will"; a book which could have been appropriately named, "101 Scriptural arguments to destroy 'free-will'". I especially liked how Luther demonstrated that the Semi-Pelagians were far worse than the old Pelagians in two important respects, that the former were far more dishonest and crafty about their assertion of merit, and also attempted to purchase the grace of God at a far cheaper rate. It was very encouraging to read Luther unleashing the "thunderbolts" of Paul against both by the teaching of free justification.

I would also have loved to quote in full, Luther's demonstration that salvation by faith alone destroys "free-will" - since many today think that the modern protectors of "free-will" nevertheless still teach justification by faith alone (as they claim that they do). Luther considered the two wholly incompatible, and the one disproves the other. John Wesley's doctrine of justification was very different to Luther's, who no doubt would have called it justification by "free-will" alone!

Suffice to say, that Christians today ought to read this treasure of the Reformation, and learn what "the essential issue" of the Reformation was (as Luther called it), and how much of Evangelicalism today has in principle reaffirmed the most fundamental doctrine of Rome. I will quote one of his most succinct, simple, and characteristic arguments against Erasmus:

"Rom. 7; Gal. 5: the power of the 'flesh' in the saints disproves 'free-will'

"I forbear to insist on the Achilles of my arguments, which the Diatribe [of Erasmus] proudly passes by without notice - I mean, Paul's teaching in Rom. 7 and Gal. 5, that there is in the saints and the godly such a mighty warfare between the Spirit and the flesh that they cannot do what they would. From this I would argue as follows: If human nature is so bad that in those who are born again of the Spirit it not only fails to endeavour after good, but actually fights against and opposes good, how could it endeavour after good in those who are not yet born again of the Spirit, but serve under Satan in the old man? And Paul is not here speaking of gross affections only (which is the universal expedient by which the Diatribe regularly parries the thrust of every Scripture); but he lists among the works of the flesh heresy, idolatry, contentions, divisions, etc., which reign in what you call the most exalted faculties, that is, reason and will. If, now, the flesh with these affections wars against the Spirit in the saints, much more will it war against God in the ungodly and in their 'free-will'! Hence in Rom. 8 he calls it 'enmity against God' (v. 7). May I say that I should be interested to see this argument punctured, and 'free-will' safeguarded from its attack!"

You can purchase "the Bondage of the Will" by Martin Luther from the online bookstore at: www.monergism.com. They even have in eBook format if you're that type.

Sam W.

Denominations and the Unity of the Church

Since the time of the Reformation of the sixteenth century, by which the outward bond of the Romish hierarchy was broken, and the Church returned to her position of liberty in Christ, the Church in the world has been and still is divided into many denominations and sects. This was to be expected. Always there is the carnal seed in the Church in the world. False teachers must needs sneak into the Church and inculcate their false doctrine into her members, seducing them to a carnal life. The manifestation of this evil may be suppressed and covered up by the power of an outward hierarchical yoke, but as soon as the yoke is removed, and the Church recognises no other bond than that of the Word of God, it is bound to reveal itself. Hence, what is called Church in the world is hopelessly divided. Every denomination has its own creed, every sect its own particular doctrine. Those that call themselves undenominational, or those that sail under the slogan, "No creed but Christ," insist upon their own peculiar doctrinal hobby perhaps more than those that adhere to and confess their creed.

Now, this division of the the Church into many different denominations and sects is frequently, but falsely, called the multiformity of the Church. It is argued that in all these denominations is found the holy catholic Church, so that they are, essentially, all one in Christ. It is further argued that all these different churches with their different creeds have the truth as it is in Christ. Only, they all know in part, and none of them can claim to know and proclaim the truth in all its purity. Hence, they are all imperfect manifestations of the true Church. And as they present different aspects of the one Gospel, and all reflect the abundant glory of Christ in their own way, they represent the Church in its multiformity. They are to be compared to so many spokes of one wheel: all these churches are centred in the hub, which is Christ, yet none of them has actually reached the centre. They all point to Christ; they strive to reach His fulness; but they are all imperfect. In the consciousness of this imperfection, no particular church on earth dare claim to be the pure Church in distinction from others. Rather, we must assume the position that the Church in which we have our membership is, together with all the others, but one imperfect form and manifestation of the holy catholic Church, no purer than others.

This conception of the multiformity of the Church on earth is as pernicious as it is false.

It is false, because it denies that the pure preaching of the Word of God is, indeed, the distinguishing mark of the true Church. According to this view, the truth of the Gospel is vague and ambiguous. Scripture cannot serve as a clear and definite criterion to determine where the truth is confessed and preached. Hence, the preaching of the sovereign grace of God and of absolute predestination together with the Arminian error of man's free will constitute an approach to the truth; both are aspects of a truth that lies on a higher plane, too high for us to grasp. If one Church believes in infant baptism, and the other opposes this truth, while a third must have nothing of "water baptism" at all, they are all fundamentally agreed, only, they are striving to reach a height of truth that is beyond them. In such a view there is no room for discipline exercised upon those that introduce false doctrines. But this is quite contrary to the whole Word of God which everywhere exhorts us to stand fast in the truth, and to watch against the false prophets and teachers, that would seduce the saints from the way of righteousness. False this view is, too, from a historical viewpoint. For it is simply not true that all the existing denominations and sects represent so many forms of the Church, simultaneously striving to attain to the fulness of the truth in Christ.

Such is not their history.

That history is not to be compared to a movement along the spokes of a wheel towards its hub.

It does not present the picture of a number of different churches, equally imperfect in their apprehension of the the truth as it is in Christ, but simultaneously approximating it.

On the contrary, it was a development from a definite starting point, along a straight line, from which, however, under the influence of the carnal element in the Church, in the course of time, many departed, to follow after their own philosophy, and to establish various denominations and sects.

From the beginning of the new dispensation, the one, holy, catholic Church was built upon the foundation of the prophets and the apostles of which Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone. In the doctrine of the apostles and prophets, as contained in the Holy Scriptures, was clearly indicated the line along which the Church must develop and grow in the knowledge and grace of her Lord. And along this line of revealed truth there was, indeed, development, but always in the face of much opposition by heretics. These heretics did not innocently wander from the path of truth: they were evil men, motivated by the flesh, loving the world, and seeking to seduce the Church from the way of righteousness, and thus to lead her to destruction. Thus the Scripture always presents them, and ever warns the Church against their seducing influence. The apostle Paul exhorts believers to grow in the knowledge of Christ, "that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Eph. 4:14. And the apostle Peter warns the Church against false teachers that shall arise, "who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." II Pet. 2:1-3.

Hence, the history of the Church is a constant struggle to maintain the truth over against the inventions of evil men. It is the history of progress in the face of opposition, of constant deformation and reformation.

It presents the picture, not of spokes in a wheel, but of one central line of progress from which many lines more or less sharply diverge.

In these divergent lines, one dare not see the true multiformity of the Church of Christ. The lie is never a form of the truth.

It is the sacred calling of every believer to seek and to determine, in light of Holy Scripture, where the central line of the truth runs, and ever to remain on that line, or to return to it. In other words, it is his most solemn duty, to join himself to the purest manifestation of the Church in the world, and with her to remain.

This does not mean that the believer who takes this calling seriously imagines that no one is saved outside of the particular church in which he has his membership. But it does mean that he abhors all deviations from the truth as it is in Christ, and that he refuses to go along with those that move in the direction of the false church.

Only the truth of Holy Scripture may be his criterion.

Where the Word of God is preached, there is the Church!

Quoted from Hoeksema's Exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism, "The Triple Knowledge". From pages 243-247, treating the doctrine of the communion of the saints (LD21, Q55).

The horrific blasphemy of an dishonest offer from God

This is a response to the quote-mining of a once staunch supporter of Calvinism, who has now started to prolifically promote the self-contradictory theology of the "free offer". This is idea that even though God has eternally willed only to save some, that nevertheless He sincerely and earnestly desires the salvation of all without exception, and expresses this desire in the preaching of the Gospel, which they suppose to be an invitation to, or offer of salvation in Christ (who they nevertheless believe died only for the elect). I'm aware that most sensible people will already see the absurdity of this position, but nevertheless, here is the quote:

"The Gospel is to be preached indiscriminately to the elect and to the reprobate: but the elect alone come to Christ, because they have been taught of God. (Isaiah 54:13) God invites all indiscriminately to salvation through the Gospel, but the ingratitude of the world is the reason why this grace, which is equally offered to all, is enjoyed by few." ~ John Calvin.

John Calvin heavily criticised how the Romish theologians would dig through the writings of the early church fathers to find and pull out the dung instead of the gold. I don't think he would be impressed with your attempt to do the same with his writings. In his later days, when he wrote specifically dealing with the subject against a heretic, he said:

"God is not like a mortal man, who is ever flexible and variable, and changes his mind and purposes every hour! Why, the very thing against which the monk so violently fights is that the adorable God is ever of one mind and consistent with himself!" (p. 178).

"We, however, with greater reverence and sobriety, say ‘that God always wills the same thing; and that this is the very praise of His immutability.’ Whatever He decrees, therefore, He effects; and this is in Divine consistency with His omnipotence. And the will of God, being thus inseparably united with His power, constitutes an exalted harmony of His attributes …" (p. 179).

The command to repent and believe, and the promise of salvation to all who believe is certainly not a universal invitation - if it were this would mean that God has a universal will for all without exception to be saved, and whatever God wills is done, because He is always faithful to Himself in the exercise of His omnipotent power.

This doctrine that the Gospel is an invitation militates against total depravity because for the invitation to be universal, every hearer must be equally capable of responding to the invitation. But we believe that humanity is dead in trespasses and sins, and cannot respond apart from the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. How can God invite sinners to come to Him, when He has not given them the power to come?

It also contradicts unconditional election, because if few are chosen, then the others cannot honestly be invited to that for which they have not been chosen. It is a cruel, dishonest and unjust invitation that invites someone where the invitor has already eternally decreed that they cannot come. How can God invite sinners to come to Him, when He has decided that they cannot come?

It tears apart limited/particular atonement, because a man cannot be honestly invited to banquet in which no place has been prepared for him, and where no room or provision has been made for him. That would be a vile, evil, wicked and abominable invitation. How then, can our righteous God invite sinners to come to Him, when He has not paid for their sins by the death of His Son?

God will not offer that which He has willed eternally not to give. Throughout all Scripture, the Gospel is never preached as an offer to all without exception. The preaching of the Gospel to all without exception is a command to repent and believe, and an unconditional promise that those who believe are saved eternally.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." - Jer. 31:3. The love of God is as unchangeable and eternal as He is (Mal. 3:6).

Since Christ is loved before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), then so too are all who were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). Before Jacob was born, he was loved by God, and likewise, before Esau was born, he was hated by God. There is no hatred in love, and there is no love in hatred. Denying these things and saying that God loves those who are not chosen in Christ, and sincerely desires their salvation (despite not having chosen them) is a horrible blasphemy against the righteous character of God. If God loves wicked-doers who He has determined not to save, what does that say about His love? Or what does that say about His Being? Can a righteous God love the wicked, except He makes them righteous through Christ's atonement? To say so, is to God loves wickedness, and that God is wicked. A more absurd and devilish blasphemy could hardly be contrived except by the inspiration of Satan who delights in tearing the church apart by heresy.

Judge for yourselves, but I say (not myself alone, but also the ministers of the churches I belong to) this nonsense that God loves everybody, desires to save everybody, invites everybody to salvation, offers salvation to everybody is a denial of the Scriptures, and an Arminian heresy condemned by the Synod of Dordt 1618-19. And they are many others who take this position too.

John Piper's Doctrine of a Common Ineffectual "Atonement"

A friend sent me this link to a question and answer session by John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2343_did_jesus_death_do_anything_for_unbelievers/

I've heard him preach this false doctrine before, so I thought it was worth commenting on as follows:

I hope you will read and receive this comment with the understanding that I mean this as an encouragement and as a helpful, edifying, and God-glorifying comment both for Piper (whom I have strongly criticised) and for all the other readers.

He makes a telling statement about the whole fuzzy construct of common grace and free offer theology when he says towards the end, "You're alive!" This is totally wrong, and a wrong way of thinking about the non-elect, and God's attitude towards them. The sinner is dead is trespasses and sins, and therefore does not have a "chance" (and chance is not a word in the dictionary of a Reformed Christian). A "chance to believe"? Is not the very idea undiluted Arminianism?

It's very true that God gives people greater judgment for rejecting the preaching of the Gospel - Christ speaks about this (Matthew 11:21ff). But notice that God's judgment of sinners is with regard to their disobedience, not their rejection of a gracious offer (since how could God offer what He had not purposed to give them?). As II Thessalonians 1:7-10 makes totally clear, Christ will return "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel..." It is for disobedience that the wicked reprobate receive greater condemnation. Of course it is true that God gives the wicked many good things in this world, and holds them guilty for their misuse of these things and unthankfulness, but while His purpose in giving good things to the elect is for their good, His purpose in giving the very same things to the reprobate is to bring them under further condemnation (Rom. 11:9; Psalm 73) - not an attitude of grace at all (Psalm 5:4-6; 11:5-7; etc).

It's important because God is just and simple. It is not possible to say that a man who ends up in hell has received any grace at all - because God's grace is one of His perfect attributes, which must necessarily be in harmony with all His other attributes. God is also sovereign, and omnipotent, and infinte. And therefore His grace must also be sovereign, and omnipotent, and infinite.

And in regard to the above message, is very important not to err on this because of the nature of Christ's atonement. A Christian believes that Christ is His Saviour because Christ is the Head of the Church, His body. His is the legal representative of His people by means of the bond of faith worked by the power of the Holy Spirit which indwells every believer, "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. " (Eph. 5:30, cf. Eph. 2:1ff). So a Christian believes that Christ died on the cross as our substitute. He died in our stead/place, as the corporate head of all His elect which were given to Him by the Father.

Because of this substitutionary atonement it says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (II Cor. 5:21). So, the only people who can receive any benefit from the atonement are those for whom He was a legal representative before God, which can only be those who are united to Him by faith. And furthermore, if united to Him as a member of His body, then we receive the effect of the atonement. And either it was a full atonement, or no atonement at all. There cannot be measures of atonement because we are all "one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). All those in Christ have received exactly the same grace and are equal with respect to salvation - "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). In Christ, "all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God" (II Cor. 1:20).

And all this must be the case because by means our union with Christ, there is a "swap". All our sins (past, present, future, and of every member in Christ, since there is no difference) were imputed to Him, just as all His righteousness was imputed to us (again, II Cor. 5:21). And God poured out His wrath upon the Son, such that Christ received in His own self, the full measure of punishment due to us for our sins (I Pet. 2:24; Gal. 3:13). And His resurrection for our sakes is absolute proof of our full justification in Him, that He made a complete payment for the sins of all those for whom He was a legal representative. If He has risen, then anyone who receives the benefit of the atonement must also be risen (I Cor. 15:22), and has no sin left to be paid for - we are "dead to sin".

And all this is even further proved because only in Christ can our righteous God love sinners with His infinite love. If we are in Christ, God beholds us, as He beholds Christ - as beloved children with whom He is well-pleased (Matt. 3:17)! And since we are beloved in Christ, it cannot be that God could cast us into hell, just as He cannot reject His only begotten Son (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27).

Piper says here that the non-elect receive some grace from the atonement, but only those united to Christ can receive any benefit from the atonement, and if united to Christ - all the Father's infinite love and grace toward Christ, is also then toward us. So, it's all or nothing with God. If not elect, there is no basis for having any part in the atonement, and if any has a part in the atonement at all, they have full and complete salvation as a beloved child of God. To believers He promises full redemption and assurance of salvation in Christ the only begotten Son, yet to unbelievers He promises both temporal and eternal judgment and nothing but wrath and holy vengeance against them that "obey not the Gospel".

In conclusion, I can't see how Piper's doctrine here is not undermining all that we believe about the particular atonement of Jesus Christ. There is only two conclusions to including the non-elect in the atonement (which is really a contradiction in terms), either all are saved without exception (which is the most blatant universalist heresy), or the cross is a mere crutch by which we must save ourselves by means of the determinant addition of our will/work (which is the proud religion of the Pelagian and Arminian heretics - and wholly dethrones God). We have already seen that it is quite impossible for any who are in Christ to receive variant effects from the atonement - and everything about the nature of the atonement (that it is penal, and substitutionary, and involves full double-imputation, and is applied to those united to Christ, first of all by sovereign unconditional election, and also in time and in our consciousness by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which produces faith in all the elect, and finally in our complete sanctification and glorification with Christ when we go to be with Him in heaven).

Preaching ought to separate light from darkness, as God does, to sanctify the elect and build them up in assurance, and declare to the wicked what God's attitude is toward them unless they repent, and therefore teach indeed without equivocation that, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

 - Sam W.

P.S. There's more to say about this - but it ought to be clear just how impossible it is to believe in any kind of common grace, and yet still defend the doctrine of particular atonement. The difference between the Arminians and Calvinists on that point is after all, especially with regard to what the atonement actually is. The consequences for distorting the simple biblical teaching about the atonement are massive.

The End of Discussion: My Arrogance

The Bible tells me that I am an arrogant and proud person. Indeed, that in me there is no humility whatsoever, but only a pride which knows no bounds. But the Gospel tells me that Christ has ascended up on high, and has poured out His Spirit into my cold dead heart of stone, and made it soft toward Him, and by which I now cry, “Abba, Father”, in the certain knowledge and full assurance that I have everlastingly been united to Him. This is the faith that the Spirit of Christ works in all those in which He dwells; He is the Spirit of adoption so that where once we were children of wrath, we are now called sons of the living God in Christ who is the well-beloved Son of God.

Only by this same Spirit, can I believe the Bible which tells me of the enormity of my pride. Only by this Spirit, who works the fruit of humility, can I believe the doctrines of sovereign unconditional and particular grace which demolishes all the grounds on which the pride of my flesh rests. By these mighty truths of Scripture, delivered to me by the One who is the Truth, my soul is set free to praise the glory of the Almighty God instead of the shame and dust of who I am. By this sword of the Spirit, sovereignly given to me, with Christ upholding and strengthening me, I am made willing in the day of His power to strike mercilessly at the root of pride in my own old self.

This true spiritual warfare rages within me; there is the new me, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, who is wholly enthralled only with the glory of God, and there is the old child of Satan, who was created for eternal destruction, and who has eyes only to despise God and all His works, and to proudly vomit up my own shame in putrid self-glorification. This is who I am apart from my Saviour Jesus Christ; all my being at enmity against God in bitter and violent hatred. But in Christ, I am redeemed, and renewed. I am a new creature, made to declare to wondrous praises of the Lord who has called me out of darkness into His marvellous light. For when I dwelt in darkness, I could only boast of myself, but when the light of Christ shone in my heart, I could see Him that dwells in unapproachable light, in the face of Christ, the image of the invisible God.

“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” - Job. 42:5-6.

And now that I see who I am, as I see the perfection and splendour and beauty of the One to whom all praise is due, I live to put myself to death, seeing that I have been crucified with Christ, and no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And it cannot be possible for me to extol this wondrous grace enough, though I had all eternity in the state of perfection to declare it. But now, I travel through this pilgrimage of affliction and hardship – for I see the sure hope that I have, and I have not yet obtained it. The light of revelation fills my consciousness, awakens me, brings me to life from the dead, and yet while I tarry yet here in this present evil age, I have only the small beginnings of that new life in Christ. I have only the earnest and seal of the Spirit, and I await with deep groanings, the full inheritance that I have as a child of God in Christ.

When I look at myself, what do I see? Only sin. Do I even see a faint glimmering of that miraculous grace that I have received by the power of the Holy Spirit? I can only see small beginnings of obedience, that I could easily convince myself are merely manifestations of hypocritical self-righteousness and wishful thinking. But when I look to Christ, and see the glory and splendour of His death and resurrection for my sins, I am justified. I know He has borne my sins on the tree, for my iniquities it pleased the LORD to crush Him, for my transgressions He was wounded, and the chastisement that brought me peace was laid upon Him. By His stripes, I am healed. The LORD has laid on Him all my iniquity.

What do others see when they look at me? Much the same, I imagine. But many look at me more graciously than I deserve. But how ought we look at another Christian? Surely if the confession of his life is a credible confession that he belongs to Christ, we ought to afford him the judgment of charity, and treat him as a beloved brother in Christ, elect and justified by God. Unless he lives in some gross public sin, or denies the doctrine of Christ, surely we have no grounds to reject him, even though his faith may be weak and confused. Surely we ought to see him as a fellow-pilgrim, burdened and heavy-laden, battling with sin, and only standing by the omnipotent power of God which He exercised in raising Christ from the dead, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.

We may say to ourselves, oh, does he not seem greatly prideful and arrogant? But do we so quickly lose sight of ourselves and the fierce battle that we too have against our own totally depraved nature? And how can we run so quickly to judge by appearances when if we were to do likewise with ourselves, we could only ever conclude that we were wholly forsaken and cursed by God? But we ought instead to have the faith of our father Abraham:

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was also able to perform.” - Rom. 4:16-21.

After all, what is it that this precious faith that we have obtained consists of?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” - Heb. 11:1.

What then is the conclusion of this? That faith is the victory that overcomes the world!

“Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” - Heb. 12:12-14.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have [been led, Greek: prosagoge] by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” - Rom. 5:2.

The role of true humility in actively seeking to manifest the unity which all believers have together in Christ cannot be over-stated. But this is wholly absent when the judgment of charity is not also made. The only way in which the unity that all believers have in Christ (who is the Truth, and in whom we are united by the Spirit of Truth) can be manifested is by common confession of the Truth. We are commanded not to be silent but instead to all speak the same thing, without the truth, the only unity present is hypocritical carnality.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment.” - I Cor. 1:10.

“If there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” - Phil. 2:1-2.

It is obvious to me, seeing with all the differences dividing churches and believers today, that to obey this apostolic command to all speak the same thing must require us to openly, frequently, continually, tenaciously, perseveringly and stubbornly discuss all these points of disagreement until we come to agreement in the truth. We ought to do this believing that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and the unchangeable One who cannot lie, will keep His promise that His Spirit will lead us into all truth,and that Scripture is sufficient and self-interpreting to make known to us the truth and keep us from error. We ought also to do this trusting that whatever our inadquacies, weaknesses, failures, sins, and errors are, that He can overcome them by His boundless grace.

But the attitude today of so many modern Irish Evangelicals tortures my soul. These simple principles are turned entirely upside-down and violently corrupted. Instead of pursuing discussion with such patience and charity, people so often end any attempt at discussion by accusing the others of pride and arrogance. I say to myself, yes, of course – that is who the Bible tells me I am, but why are you reacting like this? But seeing the inseparable connection between true active humility and graciously bearing with the sins of other in the judgment of charity, it is quite apparent that those with the most pride are those who end all discussion in this way. Implicit in their accusation against others of arrogance, is the idea that they are better.

Clothed in garments of hypocrisy, while they accuse others of pride, it is those with this attitude who are the schismatics, because by this cruel philosophy they burn the bridges of discussion, and refuse to speak about the things that divide us, so that then we can never come to a common understanding of Scripture. In the face of these eyes who say to the feet, “I have no need of you,” it becomes a difficult thing to continue to afford them that judgment of charity, to say that we ought to seek unity with them, seeing that they openly manifest themselves as schismatics actively opposing unity, despite their proud boasts and excuses. But knowing our own sinfulness, we ought to continue to invite these to discussion in the hopes that God will melt their hearts.

This is not judging hidden motives, but judging words and deeds. When a person consistently refuses to discuss any differences, and gives only the shallow and lame excuse that the others are too prideful, this is nothing less than schism in word and deed (not simply a hidden motive), and ought to be judged as such, so that this person may be called to repentance. But when this person presumes to judge the hidden motives of others as proud, this is only judging by mere appearances, which our Lord expressly condemns! How things have been reversed and confused by such hypocrites!

Against this, we ought instead to bear with one another, even if it seems overwhelmingly to us like the others are swallowed up in pride. Too often this is our own prideful perception, and ungraciousness toward our brother. Instead, in lowliness of mind we ought to consider the others better than ourselves, against all appearances; i.e. even if it appears to us that they are not affording us the same grace. And does the fact that the Bible tells us that we are all full of pride mean that all theological discussion ought to be abandoned or at least avoided? God forbid! For then how could we ever confess our Lord and Saviour who has called us to be His witnesses – ought we to sin for fear of sinning?

No, even though we know that all our "righteous" acts are as filthy rags before the Lord, to use this as an excuse for idleness, sloth, schism, silence, and inactivity is to mock the Lord who sanctifies our works. We may say, “If I do such and such, it will only be done with mixed motives and be therefore unacceptable to the Lord.” But this is the reasoning of our natural selves and Satan. We know by faith that the Lord will strengthen us because we are His workmanship, prepared unto good works, and so He will sanctify our works for His glory – and so instead of sinful unbelief, we ought to hope in our Saviour and press on to travel the narrow path that He has laid out for us. We ought therefore not to despair of reaping any good fruit from theological discussions simply because of our arrogance and other sins, but instead look to the mighty power of God who does as He pleases in the heavens and the earth.

Read the urgency and weight of the apostle's plea in Phil. 2:1. Why is this? There is one body, one Lord, one God, one Spirit, one Truth – and we together, as the body of Christ ought to be confessing a monotheistic religion to the world. Our testimony ought to be that there is only one Lord whom we obey, and that there is only Spirit who dwells and works in us all, and that we are only one body working in unison with all our different roles and functions. This issue weighs so heavily upon the apostle's heart because of his great and overwhelming desire that God's people would show forth God's glory. It is for this purpose that we were saved, and without this passion for the proclamation of God's glory to all creation, there is little passion for true church unity in which we confess the same thing. This is the root of modern Irish Evangelicalism's schismatic attitudes – it is the lack of a genuine desire for God's name alone to be glorified, and an ignorance that this is the purpose for which people are saved.

Finally, there is a great need, not only for the eager and dedicated pursuit of discussion, but also for that discussion to be wholly objective, strictly logical, decently ordered, and based solely upon the testimony of Scripture as the absolute authority in all matters of controversy. Without these, there is good grounds for refusing to enter discussion. For how can we argue with a man who tries to prove his doctrine simply by emotional pleading? And how can we come to agreement with a man who claims that directly contradictory statements can both be true? And in the midst of confusion and disorder, how could we even begin to discuss? And without God's Word in Scripture being the only authority, surely we have nothing to discuss.

May God graciously gather His people together, out of hypocritical, false, and apostatising churches, and into that which a true pillar and ground of the truth, which has not lost its first love.

Sam W.